SODIMM system-on-a-chip launched

The tiny SODIMM-factor TRITON-TX51 requires a baseboard to break out the connectivity, but this can be shrunk via a design service.

If you're always on the lookout for the smallest computing system possible - and the newly-unveiled Mobile-ITX form factor is still a little bulky for your tastes - check out Direct Insight's TRITON-TX51.

As revealed over on Linux for Devices - via SlashGear - the TRITON-TX51 is a an entire computer crammed into a PCB the size of a stick of laptop RAM - just 6.85cm x 2.54cm.

In this SODIMM sized footprint you get an ARM Cortex A8 processor running at 800MHz, 128MB of DDR400 RAM with another 128MB of NAND flash memory, support for a pair of SDIO cards for additional hardware, a touchscreen controller which can output and drive displays of up to 1,280 x 768 at a 24-bit colour depth along with PAL and NTSC video output, a 10/100 Ethernet controller, USB 2.0 On-The-Go and host support, and I2C, SPI, I2S, 1-Wire, and PWM interfaces.

Video support isn't exactly lacking either, with the teeny-tiny system featuring a PowerVR graphics engine which supports both OpenGL ES 2.0 3D rendering and 720p MPEG-4/h.264 hardware accelerated playback - and even manages to cram in support for a CMOS camera device.

Of course, in order to use the functionality of the system a much larger daughterboard is required to hold the outputs in a similar manner to VIA's Mobile-ITX form factor, but Direct Insight promises to offer a baseboard design service that will allow OEMs to shrink the footprint to the smallest possible while still retaining the outputs required for their implementation.

Designed primarily for video processing systems, the TRITON-TX51 is expected to launch in January for €150 with full compatibility for Windows CE 6.0 and Linux kernel 2.6 and above.

Does the thought of such a tiny little system with so much power get your modding juices flowing, or is the lack of x86 compatibility a problem? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

I can see the attraction in having such a small "computer", however what is the point of having it fit into a SODIMM? They are designed to have memory put in them, not entire computers, so I assume they provide no more than power and a safe place to live? If that is the case, would it not be better to have a proper power connector to un-tie it more a parent board?

no forum link?
seems to be a new "feature" since CPC is on board
i would love to see this board in a handset
so i could just swap my handsets cpu for a faster one after a year
i wait to see usb ports on handsets like the latest linux power n900

Seems to me like should some enterprising companies also start to manufacture inexpensive compatible parts, especially the baseboard in smaller form, the potential is there for cheap boutique or home-made mobile PDA/phones & any number of other discreet connected devices. Perhaps some of the more enterprising hackers will come up with a way to get the iPhone OS to run on it - same processor after all!

How long before we see a computer running Fedora or CE built into an action man or a 1:43 scale model car ? ...that'd be a neat mutimedia presentation platform actually...

What can be done with this thing? It's too slow for a media center, can't run windows, etc.

If you read the text on this web page of text... you would have noticed the text which said this was revealed on 'Linux for devices'

The moral of the story is... you really should read text, when you are interacting with a medium which uses text to convey information.

Yes but it also stated " full compatibility for Windows CE 6.0" Whether it was revealed on Linux for Devices or not, this product is NOT Linux exclusive. Which is a positive as it would be a shame to limit this device to just Linux.

I don't know about you guys, but I have the feeling that many of the interesting devices shown at linuxfordevices.com never show up for sale in a large scale... Most of the time you only find them at industrial web stores.
I wonder if this will be the case...

Originally Posted by Icy EyeGI don't know about you guys, but I have the feeling that many of the interesting devices shown at linuxfordevices.com never show up for sale in a large scale... Most of the time you only find them at industrial web stores.
I wonder if this will be the case...